Issued July 27, lOl'J. 

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.— Bulletin 147. 

A. D. MELVIN, Chief of Bureau. 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA 



INVESTIGATIONS IN COOPERATION WITH THE 
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



BY 



DAN T. GRAY, 

Professor of Animal Husbandry, Alabama Polyttxhnic luslilule, 

AND 

W. F. WARD, 

funior Animal Husbandman, Bureau of Animal Industry. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 

1912. 



Issued July 27, 1912. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



\\ . 



BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.— Bulletin 147. 



A. D. MELVIN, Chief of Bureau. 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



INVESTIGATIONS IN COOPERATION WITH THE 
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION- 



JJ^ 
fty 



BY 



DAN T. GRAY, 

Professor of Animal Husba7idry, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, 

AND 

W. F. WARD, 

Junior Animal Husbandman, Bureau of Aniinat Industry. 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1912. 



/ 








THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



Chief: A. D. Melvin. 
Assistant Chief: A. M. Farrington. 
Chief Clerk: Charles G. Carroll. 

Animal Husbandnj Division: George M. Rommel, chief. 
Biochemic Division: M. Dorset, chief. 
Dairy Division: B. H. Rawl, chief. 

Inspection Division: Rice P. Steddom, chief, Morris Wooden, R. A. Ramsay, 
md Albert E. Behnke, associate chiefs. 
Pathological Division: John R. Mohler, chief. 
Quarantine Division: Richard W. Hickman, chief. 
Zoological Division: B. H. Ransom, chief. 
Experiment Station: E. C. Schroeder, superintendent. 
Editor: James M. Pickens. 
2 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

Bureau of Animal Industry, 

WasMngton, D. C, January 30, 1912. 
Sir : I have the honor to transmit, and to recoinmend for publica- 
tion as a bulletin of "this bureau, a manuscript entitled "Fattening 
Calves in Alabama," by Prof. Dan T. Gray, of the Alabama Agricul- 
tural Experiment Station, and Mr. W. F. Ward, of the Animal Hus- 
bandry Division of this bureau. 

The paper gives the details of three experiments in fattening calves 
in Alabama, two lots being fed during the winter on separate farms 
wdth various southern feeds, and the third lot carried through the 
winter and subsequently fattened wliile on pasture. These experi- 
ments form a part of the investigations in beef production which are 
being carried on by cooperation between the Alabama Experiment 
Station and this bureau, the work on the part of the bureau being 
under the direction of Mr. George. M. Rommel, chief of the Animal 
Husbandry Division. 

Respectfully, A. D. Melvin, 

Chief of Bureau. 
Hon. James Wilson, 

Secretary of Agriculture. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction 7 

Plan of the work 8 

I. — Winter fattening of calves on cottonseed meal and hulls, cem-and-cob meal, 

and alfalfa hay 9 

Kind of calves used 9 

General plan of the work 10 

Shelter and lots 10 

Method of feeding and handling the calves 10 

Character and price of feeds 11 

Daily rations 11 

Weights and gains 13 

Quantity and cost of feed required to make 100 pounds gain 15 

Prices realized on each kind of feed when prices of the other feeds are 

fixed 16 

Financial statement 17 

Slaughter records 19 

Summary 20 

II . — Fattening calves in winter on cottonseed meal and hulls and pea vine hay . 22 

The calves 22 

Plan of the work 23 

Prices and quality of feeds 23 

Daily rations 23 

Weights and gains 24 

Quantity and cost of feed required to make 100 pounds gain 24 

Amount realized on each ton of feed when prices of the other feeds are 

fixed 25 

Financial statement 25 

Slaughter records 26 

Smnmary 26 

III. — Wintering calves followed by fattening on pastm-e 28 

Plan and object of the work 28 

The calves 28 

Feed and management 29 

The pasture 29 

Character and prices of feeds 30 

Daily rations 30 

Weights and gains 31 

Quantity and cost of feed required to make 100 pounds gain 32 

Prices realized for feeds as a result of feeding to calves 33 

Financial statement 33 

Slaughter records 34 

Summary 35 

IV. — General statement 37 

Conclusions 38 

Summary of conclusions 39 

6 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Pag-e. 
Plate I. Calves used in feeding experiments. Lot 3 (Part I) at beginning of 

test 8 

II. Calves after winter fattening. Lot 2 (Part I) at close of test 8 

III. Calves fattening on pasture. Condition of animals five weeks before 

end of test (Part III) 28 

6 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



INTRODUCTION. 

The beef-cattle business can be, and usually is, divided into two 
parts — breedirg and fattening. As a rule, the man who raises the 
calf does not finish it on his own farm for the market; he usually sells 
it to a neighboring farmer who makes a business of fattening and pre- 
paring the calf or steer for the market. Thus the feeder oftentimes 
has no interest at all in raising the calves. Probably the ideal con- 
dition, at least for Alabama and adjacent States, is for the calf to be 
raised and finished on the same farm. But tliis ideal condition can 
seldom be realized because the man who raises the calf has, as a rule, 
only a few cows and can seldom afford to take the time and trouble 
to fatten the few calves which these cows bring each year. Even if 
the small farmer were to fatten these few calves each year he could 
seldom afford to ship them to the larger markets, so he is at the mercy 
of the local buyers. As a result of this condition of affairs the pro- 
fessional feeder has developed. His business is to collect calves and 
steers into carload lots and prepare them for the open market. 

The farmer who has as many as 30 breeding cows on liis farm should 
make it a rule to fatten their offspring himself; he can seldom afford 
to sell the calves to the professional feeder. The feeder usually 
makes money on the process of fattening, and the man who raises 
calves in sufficient numbers should keep this extra profit at home. 
Furthermore, the farmer who has from 8 to 12 calves or steers ready 
for the feed lot will usually find it profitable to buy a sufficient number 
of feeders to complete the load, and he can then finish all of them on 
his own farm. 

There are many ways of disposing of beef calves or cattle, and the 
farmer should be watchful and avoid methods by which money might 
be lost. It is possible to raise beef cattle properly and by selUng them 
improperly to lose money on the business, in just the same way that 
it is possible to raise good apples, potatoes, and peaches and lose 
money on them when the marketing part of the business is not studied 
and given proper attention. When beef cattle are bred, fed, and 
marketed in a scientific and businesslike manner, satisfactory profits 
should be realized. This is proved by the experience of good cattle- 
men, and by the cooperative experimental work between the Bureau 
of Animal Industry and the Alabama Experiment Station. 

7 



8 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

PLAN OF THE WORK. 

The farmer who raises calves is often at a loss to know at what age 
they should be disposed of. The spring calf may be sold the subse- 
quent fall; it may be fattened during the winter months and sold as 
a fat yearling calf; it may be kept on the* farm until it i^ from 2 to 4 
years of age and then sold to a professional feeder; or, the mature 
steer may be fattened on the farm where it was raised instead of being 
sold to a feeder. On account of these various methods wliich it is 
possible to adopt for disposing of beef animals, the owner is often in 
doubt as to the most profitable manner of handling and disposing of 
his crop of calves. 

This bureau, working in cooperation with the Alabama Experiment 
Station, has done several years' experimental work in fattening ma- 
ture steers for the market.^ The steers used in these experiments 
were not raised on the farm where they were fattened; they were 
purchased from small farmers who sold them for from 2^ to 3 J cents 
a pound, the price paid depending upon the quality, age, size, and 
condition of the animals. Excellent profits were realized on all of 
these cattle with the exception of one lot, but it is probable that some 
of the farmers who raised the steers lost money on their part of the 
transaction, as cattle can not be raised and sold at a profit for 2J 
cents a pound. 

Since the pubUcation of the results of the work above mentioned, 
many farmers in the South have raised the question, "Why not fatten 
the animals while they are young?" In the past the farmers and 
planters insisted on keeping the offspring of their beef cows until they 
were from 3 to 4 years old, but many inquiries are now made as to the 
advisability of fattening the calves so as to dispose of them by the 
time they are a year old. 

Two or three points can be urged in favor of tliis system. First, 
more breeding animals can be kept upon a farm when the offspirng 
are disposed of at an early age, than when they are held and sold as 
steers. Second, the younger the animal, the cheaper each pound of 
beef is made. Third, the money invested is turned more rapidly 
when the calves are sold at a young age. 

In order that they might be in a position to assist in answering such 
inquiries, authorities of the Bureau of Animal Industry and the Ala- 
bama Experiment Station undertook three experiments in fattening 
calves, which are hereafter described. The details in this bulletin are 
accordingly divided into three parts. In Part I the calves were fat- 
tened, during their first winter, on cottonseed meal and hulls, corn- 
and-cob meal, and alfalfa hay; in Part II similar winter fattening 
was carried on with cottonseed meal and huUs and peavine hay, and 
in Part III the calves were fed in the winter and fattened during the 
following pasture season. 

1 See Bureau of Animal Industry Bulletins 103 and 131, and Alabama Experiment Station Bulletins 150 
and 151. 



BuL. 147, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate 




BuL. 147, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate 




I. WINTER FATTENING OF CALVES ON COTTONSEED 
MEAL AND HULLS, CORN-AND-COB MEAL, AND 
ALFALFA HAY. 

The main object in doing this calf -feeding work was to determine 
whether the farmer can afford to raise a good grade of calves and 
finish them for the market while they are yet less than a year old. 
Secondary considerations were, of course, involved as well. 

In this part of the test the calves were divided into three lots, so 
that a comparison of certain feeds could be made. The following 
problems were studied: 

1. To learn whether a farmer can profitably raise and fatten calves 
and fuiish them for the market by the time they are a year old. 

2. To make comparisons of southern feeds and combinations of 
feeds which can be used for fattening calves during the winter months. 

Owing to the fact that a high grade of calves can not be obtained 
near the Experiment Station at Auburn, Ala., the work was carried 
on upon the farm of Messrs. Cobb and McMillan, of Sumterville, Ala., 
with whom the bureau and the station have been in cooperation for a 
number of years. Messrs. Cobb and McMillan furnished the calves 
and the feed, and the bureau and the Experiment Station provided a 
trained man to live on the farm and have personal supervision of the 
experimental work. Mr, H. J. Chatterton was stationed upon the 
farm and supervised the work. 

KIND OF CALVES USED. 

The calves used in this work were high-grade animals. The farmer 
who raises beef cattle can not afford to raise scrubs, especially the 
man who expects to finish them for the market while they are young. 
It would have been absolutely impossible to have made a profit on 
these calves if they had been scrubs instead of high-grade beef calves. 
High-priced feeds can seldom be fed profitably to low-priced cattle. 
It may be possible for a professional feeder to make a profit on scrubs 
even when high-priced feeds are used, but when such is the case it 
means that the feeder made the profit at the expense of the man who 
raised the scrubs. In other words, it means that the feeder did not pay 
the producer as much for the scrubs as it actually cost to raise them. 

The majority of the calves were raised on the farm of Cobb and 
McMillan, near Sumterville, Ala., where the feeding was done. Some 
of them were purchased from neighboring farmers in Sumter and 
adjoining counties. The calves were all well-bred animals, although 
not purebred. They were grade Shorthorns, Aberdeen-Angus, Here- 

9 

29834°— Bull. 147—12 2 



10 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

fords, and Red Polls, the majority being from one-half to seven- 
eighths pure. All had been born the preceding spring, so they were 
from 6 to 8 months of age when the fattening experiment began. 
During the summer they had run with their mothers on good pasture, 
and during this time the}^ demanded practically no attention from 
the owner, except to see that they were salted and dipped. Both 
the mothers and the calves were dipped regularly all through the 
summer months to reduce the number of ticks. Very few ticks 
appeared on the cattle during the summer time. 

On November 17, 1910, when the preliminary feeding began, the 
calves averaged 338 pounds in weight 

GENERAL PLAN OF THE WORK. 

When fall arrived and the pastures were exhausted the calves were 
taken from their mothers and placed in this winter work. They were 
in excellent condition at this time. The original intention had been 
to begin the winter feeding early in the fall, to avoid losing any part 
of the calf fat, but on account of an unavoidable delay the feeding 
was not begun imtil the above-mentioned date, so no doubt the calves 
lost a few pounds in weight after the pastures became short. 

On November 17, 1910, the calves were tagged, dehorned, and 
divided into three lots. Each lot was fed until March 17. 1911, on 
the following feeds : 

Lot 1. Cottonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, mixed alfalfa hay. Lot 
2. Cottonseed meal, two-thirds; corn-and-cob meal, one-third; cot- 
tonseed hulls ; mixed alfalfa hay. Lot 3. Cottonseed meal, one-third; 
corn-and-cob meal, two-thirds ; cottonseed hulls ; mixed alfalfa hay. 

SHELTER AND LOTS. 

The calves were young, so each lot was provided with shelter 
sufficiently good to turn the cold rains and break the cold north 
winds. If they had been mature steers the shelter would not have 
been necessary, but calves will not do well, even this far south, with- 
out some protection from the cold winds and rains of the winter 
months. Each lot was confined in a one-half acre paddock. While 
the lots were not paved, still they did not become excessively muddy, 
even during the periods of excessive rain. The ground floors of the 
sheds were always dry, so the calves had a comfortable and conven- 
ient place in which to rest. 

METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING THE CALVES. 

On November 17, 1910, all the calves were tagged and dehorned. 
On the follomng day the individual weights were secured and the 77 
calves were divided into three lots as nearly equal as possible in 
quality, weight, and breeding. The preliminary feeding began 
November 18, 1910. All of the males were castrated on November 



CHAEACTEE AND PEICE OF EATIONS EXPEEIMENT I. H 

23 and 24. No doubt the results would have been more satisfactory 
if the calves had been castrated at an earlier age. 

The animals were fed twice each day, the morning feed being given 
about 7 o'clock and the night feed at 5 o'clock. The concentrated 
feeds were placed in the troughs, each of which was about 12 feet 
long and 3 feet wide. The hay was fed in separate hay racks. Both 
the troughs and the racks were under sheds so that the feed never 
became wet and the calves had comfortable quarters in which to eat. 
Salt was supplied regularly, also good pure water in clean troughs. 

At the beginning and end of the experiment individual weights 
were taken on two successive days. During the course of the test 
the total weight of each lot was taken every 28 days. 

CHARACTER AND PRICE OF FEEDS. 

Cottonseed meal, corn-and-cob meal, cottonseed hulls, and mixed 
alfalfa hay were all used in this test. The cottonseed meal and the 
hulls were purchased and hauled to the farm. The corn-and-cob 
meal and the mixed alfalfa hay were grown upon the farm. All of 
the feeds were of good quality. The cottonseed meal wa3 fresh and 
bright; the hay consisted of a mixture of about one-half each of John- 
son grass and alfalfa. The corn was grown upon the farm, and before 
it was fed the whole ear of corn with the shuck was run through a 
grinder and made into corn-and-cob meal. 

The feeds were valued as follows: 

Cottonseed meal per ton. . |26. 00 

Cottonseed hulls .do 7.00 

Corn per bushel. . . 70 

Mixed hay per ton. . 15. 00 

As a matter of fact the cottonseed meal cost only S25 a ton, and 
corn was worth only 50 cents a bushel, but the above prices were 
adopted for tlie sake of uniformity. These prices hav^e been used in 
other publications of this bureau, and represent fairly accurately the 
average prices of feeds in this State 

DAILY RATIONS. 

More care and skill must be exercised in feeding a young animal 
than an old one. A 6-year-old ox may be cared for and. fed in a care- 
less manner and still no serious results follow; but the young calf will 
not grow and develop with any degree of satisfaction under a careless 
system of management and feeding. The younger the animal the 
greater the skill required to care for and feed it; one case of overfeed- 
ing will often throw the stomach and bowels out of condition for weeks. 

It will be noticed from the table below that at first the calves were 
given a very small quantity of concentrated feed, the amount being 
gradually increased to the end of the test. They were given, from 
the beginning, all of the hay they would clean up. 



12 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



J^ 



s 



i-^ccrooom 



OT3 M 
-» © 3 



i o » 

o 






.lOt-t-OOOO 



a: 03 « r^ o o 
2 <^ r^^ CO o 



• ^ lO -^ lO o 

iCOOOr^,-^ O 



A ^ 0) 

S"g 



o ^^ 



. lOt-t-OOOO 






aJ O »0 Tf* CO Oi 
^— < OlM 00 t~ 

^ 1^ to IC to lO 






S CO CO »o o «5 

r «^ t-^ h^ 00 >5 



; C7> Ol O fO !->. 
J O X^ .— I CO c^ 

■ C^* W CO CO CO 



.§4 



fi c3 o 03 .a 

+^ o|i< - e3 

g S*" >>-^ 

S E S 3J3 

S 0) 3 t. O 

o S w "i: «s 



WEIGHTS AND GAINS EXPERIMENT I. 13 

During the preliminary feeding period each calf in lot 1 received 
an average of only 2.09 pounds of cottonseed meal each day, and 
during the last 16 days of the feeding period the calves in tliis lot 
received an average daily feed of only 3.67 pounds of cottonseed 
meal. At one time the daily allowance was raised to 4 pounds for 
each calf, but some of them began to scour and the allowance of meal 
was quickly reduced. The calves in lots 2 and 3 received a partial 
feed of corn-and-cob meal; this was mixed with the cottonseed meal, 
so the daily allowance of concentrated feeds for the calves of these 
two lots was greater than that of the calves in lot 1. During the 
preliminary period each calf in lot 2 received a daily feed of 2.6 
pounds of concentrated feeds, practically one-fourth of the amount 
being corn-and-cob meal. Each calf in lot 3, during the same period, 
received 3.05 pounds daily of the concentrated feeds, 55.4 per cent 
of which was corn-and-cob meal. At the end of the test each calf 
in lot 3 was eating 6 pounds daily of a mixture of one-third cotton- 
seed meal and two-thirds corn-and-cob meal. They ate this amount 
readily with no ill results following. 

It should be noted that when the amount of feed was increased 
it was increased gradually. No abrupt changes were made. 

WEIGHTS AND GAINS. 

When the preliminary weights were taken, November 18, 1910, 
the calves averaged from six to eight months in age. While they were 
not large for their age, they were larger than the average for the 
State. Their mothers probably averaged about 1,000 pounds in 
weight in usual breeding condition. The calves had not been pam- 
pered in any way during the summer months; they had simply run 
with their mothers upon a reasonably good pasture. 

In some previous experimental work done by this bureau and the 
Alabama Experiment Station, yearling grade Angus calves attained 
a weight of only 402 pounds, but they were heavily infested with 
ticks. Some ticks were permitted to get on the calves used in the 
present test, but they were not badly infested. Of course, this slight 
infestation retarded their development, but just how much it is 
impossible to state. 

The table below shows that the calves made satisfactory gains 
during the winter feeding periods. 



14 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 
Table 2. — Weights, total gains, and average daily gains. 

PRELIMINARY PERIOD (NOV. 17 TO DEC. 7). 





Num- 


Lot. 


ber of 




calves. 


1 


27 


2 


24 


3 


20 



Ration. 



Number 

of days 

fed. 



Average 

initial 

weight of 

each calf. 



Average 

final 
weight of 
each calf. 



Average 

total 

gain of 

each calf. 



Average 

daily 

gain of 

each calf. 



[Cottonseed meal 

•{Cottonseed hulls 

iMLxed alfalfa hay 

(Cottonseed meal, two-thirds. . . 
Com-and-cob meal, one-third . . 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 

{Cottonseed meal, one-third 
Com-and-cob meal, two-thirds. 
Cottonseed hulls. 
Mixed alfalfa hay 



19 



19 



Pounds. 

33S 



Pounds. 
380 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 
2.21 



REGULAR FEEDING PERIOD (DEC. 8, 1910, TO MAR. 17, 1911). 



27 



{Cottonseed meal 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 

{Cottonseed meal", two-thirds. . . 
Corn-and-cob meal, one-third . . 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay : 

(Cottonseed meal, one-third 
Corn-and-cob meal, two-thirds. 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 



[ 100 


^ 380 


541 


101 


i 100 


374 


543 


109 


100 


367 


546 


179 



PRELIMINARY AND REGULAR PERIODS COMBINED (NOV. 17, 1910, TO MAR. 17, 1911). 



[Cottonseed meal 

< Cottonseed hulls 

[Mixed alfalfa hay 

I Cottonseed meal, two-thirds. . . 
Com-and-cob meal, one-third . . 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 

! Cottonseed meal, one-third 
Corn-and-cob meal, two-thirds. 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 



1 "' 


XiS 


.■-.41 


203 


} 119 


333 


543 


210 


> 119 


32N 


546 


218 



1.71 
1.76 

1.83 



Durinp" the preliminary period from November 17 to December 7 
the calves were dehorned and the males castrated, yet they made 
excellent gains. The lots gained a daily average of 2.21, 2.16, and 
2.05 pounds, respectively, during tliis period. Of course some of 
this increase can be attributed to "fill"; it was not all real gain in 
terms of meat and bone. 

During the regular experiment from December 8 to March 17 the 
gains were also entirely satisfactory. The calves in lot 1, the lot 
which had no corn-and-cob meal mixed with cottonseed meal, made 
the smallest gains, each calf gaining 1.61 pounds a day; this, how- 
ever, was a satisfactory daily gain for small and young animals. 
The calves in lot 3, the lot which was given the heavy feed of corn- 
and-cob meal along with the cottonseed meal, made the greatest 



COST OF loo POUNDS GAIN EXPERIMENT I. 



15 



gains, each calf gaining 1.79 pounds daily. The calves in lot 2, the 
lot wliich received the small amount of corn-and-cob meal along 
with the cottonseed meal, made an average daily gain of 1.69 pounds. 

During the whole winter feeding period each calf gained an average 
of 203, 210, and 218 pounds in weight in lots 1, 2, and 3, respectively, 
so that when the calves were sold, March 17, the whole lot of 77 
calves averaged 543 pounds in weight. They were practically 12 
months old when sold. 

It should not be inferred that the ration which produced the 
greatest gain in a given time is necessarily the best or most profitable 
one. Wliile the question of rapidity of gain is an extremely im- 
portant factor in final profits, there are other factors, as the cost of 
the gain, which must be taken into consideration. 

QUANTITY AND COST OF FEED REQUIRED TO MAKE 100 POUNDS 

GAIN. 

While the feeds used were all expensive ones, the cost to make 
100 pounds of gain in live weight was not excessive. In fact, the 
gains were made cheaply. This was due to several factors. First, 
the calves were young and growing, and young animals of all kinds 
can be made to increase in weight more economically than old ones. 
Second, the calves were very thrifty, and so made good use of the 
feed that they ate. Third, all of the rations were extremely palat- 
able, especially the two wliich had the corn-and-cob meal mixed 
with the cottonseed meal. A young animal of any kind will not 
make satisfactory gains on an unpalatable ration. Fourth, the 
calves had comfortable quarters and were fed and watered regularly. 

Table 3. — Quantity and cost of feed required to make 100 pounds of gain. 



Ration. 



[Cottonseed meal 

•(Cottonseed hulls 

(Mixed alfalfa hay 

1 Cottonseed meal, two-thirds. . 
Corn-and-cob meal, one-third. 
Cottonsee'' hulls 
Mixed alfalfa liay 

I Cottonseed meal", one-third 
Corn-and-cob meal, two-thirds 
Cottonseed hulls 
Mixed alfalfa hay 



Preliminary peri- 
od — 19 days (Nov. 
17 to Dec. 7). 



Pounds 
of feed to 
make 100 
pounds 
of gain. 



Pounds. 

95 
241 
230 

88 

40 
266 
257 

66 
103 
261 
228 



Cost of 

feed to 

make 100 

pounds 

of gain. 



Dollars. 
3.80 



4.51 



Regular feeding 

period — 100 days 

(Dee. 8 to Mar. i7). 



Pounds 
of feed to 
make 100 
pounds 
of gain. 



Pounds. 
201 
486 
338 
143 
72 
464 
323 
114 
234 
430 
216 



Cost of 

feed to 

make 100 

pounds 

of gain. 



Dollars. 
G. 85 



Preliminary and 

regular periods 

combined — 119 days 

(Nov. 17 to Mar. 17). 



Pounds 
of feed to 
make 100 
pounds 
of gain. 



Pounds. 
f 179 

! 435 

315 
133 
65 
425 
310 
130 
211 
400 
218 



Cost of 
feed to 
make 100 
pounds 
of gain. 



Dollars. 
6.22 



16 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

During the preliminary period the calves made both rapid and 
economical gains, notwithstanding the fact that they had been 
dehorned and castrated. It cost $3.80, $4.40, and $4.51 to make 100 
pounds of gain in live weight in lots 1,2, and 3, respectively, during 
the preliminary period. In this period, therefore, the calves which 
ate nothing except cottonseed meal, hulls, and alfalfa hay made the 
cheapest gains. This, however, was not true of the test when taken 
as a whole. 

After the calves had been on feed some weelcs, with the "fiH" not 
taken into consideration, the gains were not made as cheaply as at 
first. Under average feeding conditions the cheapest gains are made 
durmg the first few weeks of the fattening process; the expensive 
gains are usually made near the close of the feeding period. During 
the regular feeding period it cost $6.85, $6.63, and $6.95 to make 
100 pounds of gain in lots 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The cheapest 
gains were by the calves in lot 2, where the small amount of corn- 
and-cob meal was fed along with the cottonseed meal. The most 
expensive gains were made in lot 3, where the calves received a 
heavy proportion of corn-and-cob meal. 

The cost of the gains, however, does not determine absolutely the 
final profits. Wliile the cost of the gains is a ver^^ important factor 
in determining final profits, there are other factors which must be 
taken into consideration as well. The final selling price of the cattle 
must also be considered as an important factor. If expensive gains 
are accompanied by a proportionate increase in the final value and 
selling price of the cattle, the cost of the gains is a minor considera- 
tion; but if expensive gains do not increase the final selling price of 
the anunal in proportion to the increased expense of making the 
gains, those feeds which have caused the expensive gains should be 
eliminated. 

Wlien the preliminary and the regular periods are combined into 
one period of 119 days, it cost $6.22, $6.19, and $6.83 to produce 100 
pounds of gains in lots 1 , 2, and 3, respectively, lot 2 still showing 
up to the best advantage and lot 3 to a considerable disadvantage. 

PRICES REALIZED ON EACH KIND OF FEED WHEN PRICES OF THE 
OTHER FEEDS ARE FIXED. 

As previously stated, the cottonseed meal cost $26 a ton and the 
huUs $7 a ton, the hay being valued at $15 a ton and the corn at 70 
cents a bushel. Before a farmer spends $26 for a ton of cottonseed 
meal and $7 for a ton of hulls to be used as a feed for cattle he should 
know whether or not he will get his money back in the shape of 
profits on the cattle. In other words, the farmer should know 
whether he will be able to realize a profit on the money invested in 
the feed. Wlien he has hay and corn on his farm he expects to sell 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT EXPEEIMENT I. 



17 



tliem at the highest possible price. Wlien, in addition, he has cattle 
the farmer often hesitates as to the best method of disposing of the 
corn and hay. The question arises in his mind, Should I feed the 
hay and corn to the calves and steers, or should I sell these feeds 
directly upon the market ? 

The following table throws some light on this problem : 

Table 4. — Prices realized on each feed tvhen/ed to the calves and prices of the other feeds 

are fixed. 



Feed. 



Lot 1. 



Lot 2. 



Lots. 



Cottonseed meal per ton. . 

Cottonseed hulls do 

Corn per bushel. . 

Alfalfa hay per ton. . 



$36. 10 
11.15 



$42. 18 

12.05 

1.90 

20.92 



$36. 50 

10.40 

.95 

21.25 



While the cottonseed meal cost only $26 a ton, it was fed to the 
calves and sold, by means of them, for $36.10 to $42.18 a ton. The 
hulls cost only $7 a ton, and they were resold, by means of the calves, 
for $10.40 to $12.05 a ton. If the corn had been sold upon the market 
it would not have brought more than 60 cents a bushel during the fall 
of 1910 (it is charged against these calves, however, at 70 cents a 
bushel), but when it was fed to these calves it was sold, by means of 
the calves, for 95 cents a bushel in lot 3 and $1.90 a bushel in lot 2. 
If the mixed alfalfa hay had been sold as hay, it would not have 
brought more than $15 a ton on the farm, but it was sold, through the 
calves, for $20.72 to $21.25 a ton. 

These results tend to show that the farmer can usually afford to buy 
certain outside feeds — feeds which have not been grown on the 
farm — for feeding his animals, while he can almost always afford to 
feed his home-grown feeds to live stock rather than sell them upon the 

market. 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 

These calves were raised on the farm on which they were fattened, 
so the initial or fall price is an estimated one. Their estimated value 
was placed at 3^ cents a pound on the farm, wdthout shrink, when 
these experiments began, November 17^ 1910. 

When they were ready to be sold, buyers visited the farm to make bids. 
At the time of sale the beef market was on a rapid decline, so they did 
not sell as well as was expected. They were sold March 17, 1911, the 
calves in lot 1 selling for $5.01 per hundredweight on the farm, those 
in lot 2 bringing $5.11 per hundredweight, and those in lot 3 selling 
for $5,26 per hundredweight. All the sales were based on the farm 
weight after a 3 per cent shrink. The}' were shipped to the Cincin- 
nati market, where complete slaughter records were secured. 
29834°— Bull. 147—12 3 



18 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

Table 5. — Financial statement. 

Lot 1. Cottonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, mixed alfalfa hay: 

By sale of 27 calves, 14,172 pounds, at $5.01 per hundredweight |710. 02 

To 27 calves, 9,120 pounds, at ^ cents a pound $319. 20 

To 9,821 pounds cottonseed meal, at $26 a ton 127. 67 

To 23,908 pounds cottonseed hulls, at $7 a ton 83. 68 

To 17,320 pounds mixed alfalfa hay, at $15 a ton 129. 90 

Total expense 660. 45 

Total profit 49. 57 

Profit per calf 1. 84 

Lot 2. Cottonseed meal two-thirds, corn-and-cob meal one-third, cottonseed hulls, 
mixed alfalfa hay: 

By sale of 24 calves, 12,633 pounds, at $5.11 per hundredweight $645. 55 

To 24 calves, 7,984 pounds, at 3i cents a pound $279. 44 

To 6,682 pounds cottonseed meal, at $26 a ton 86. 87 

To 3,298 pounds corn-and-cob meal, at 70 cents a bushel 32. 98 

To 21,418 pounds cottonseed hulls, at $7 a ton 74. 96 

To 15,630 pounds mixed alfalfa hay, at $15 a ton 117. 23 

Total expense 591. 48 

Total profit 54. 07 

Profit per calf .' 2. 25 

Lot 3. Cottonseed meal one- third, corn-and-cob meal two- thirds, cottonseed hulls, 
mixed alfalfa hay: 

By sale 26 calves, 13,774 pounds, at $5.26 per hundredweight $724.51 

To 26 calves, 8,531 pounds, at 3J cents a pound $298. 59 

To 7,353 pounds cottonseed meal, at $26 a ton 95. 59 

To 11,963 pounds corn-and-cob meal, at 70 cents a bushel 119. 63 

To 22,687 pounds cottonseed hulls, at $7 a ton 79. 40 

To 12,363 pounds mixed alfalfa hay, at $15 a ton 92. 72 

Total expense 685. 93 

Total profit 38. 58 

Profit per calf 1. 48 

The foregoing shows that all of the calves were fed at a profit, the 
lowest being $1.48 per calf in lot 3 and the highest S2.25 per calf in 
lot 2. What do these profits mean? They mean that the corn and 
hay raised on the farm were sold, through the calves, at 70 cents a 
bushel and $15 a ton, respectively; that the money expended for 
•cottonseed meal and hulls was all returned to the owner; that the 
fertilizer value of these feeds was left on the farm, and, in addition, 
each calf returned the above additional profits. The monetary 
returns were satisfactory, as the farm feeds were sold for more, by 
means of the calves, than could have been secured for them on the 
market, and their fertilizing value was left on the farm in the shape of 
barnyard manure. 



SLAUGHTER RECOEDS EXPERIMENT I. 



19 



The calves in lot 3, the ones which received the heavy ration of 
corn-and-cob meal, returned the smallest profit, notwithstanding 
the fact that they sold for the highest price at Cincinnati. The 
increase in the price did not overcome the added expense of feeding a 
heavy ration of corn-and-cob meal. While it did not pay to feed the 
heavy ration of corn-and-cob-meal, it did pay to feed the small 
amount of corn-and-cob meal which was used in lot 2, as the calves in 
this lot proved to be the most profitable ones fed. This indicates that 
when fattening beef calves with cottonseed meal and corn-and-cob 
meal as concentrates one-third of the concentrated part of the 
ration can profitably consist of corn-and-cob meal, while it is less 
profitable to have corn-and-cob meal constitute two-thirds of the con- 
centrated part of the ration. 

However, there is one factor that has not been taken into consider- 
ation which, if considered, would add to the profits of lots 2 and 3, 
especially the latter. Some undigested corn passed through the 
calves in these two lots; if hogs followed them they would derive no 
little benefit from the droppings. In fact, several hogs did follow 
the calves in lot 3, but no record was kept of their gains. These gains 
should be credited to the calves. 



SLAUGHTER RECORDS. 

As stated before, these calves were all shipped to the Cincinnati 
market, where full slaughter data were secured. The animals were 
driven 9 miles from the farm to the railroad, and on account of 
unusual delays they were on the cars 67 hours before reaching Cincin- 
nati. The slaughter results are given in the following table: 

Table 6. — Slaughter data. 





Number of 
calves. 


Live weights. 


Shrinkage. 


Per cent dressed. 


Lot. 


Total on 
farm. 


On farm 
after 3 per 
cent shrink. 


At Cincin- 
nati. 


Total. 


Average 
per calf. 


By shrunk 

farm 

weight. 


By market 
weights 


1 
2 
3 


27 
24 
26 


Pounds. 
14,610 
13,024 
14,200 


Pounds. 
14,172 
12,633 
13,774 


Pounds. 
13,050 
11,740 
12,700 


Pounds. 
1,560 
1,284 
1,500 


Pounds. 
57.8 
5.3.5 
57.7 


Per cent. 
47.6 
47.8 
48.9 


Per cent. 

51.7 
51.5 
53.1 



The calves of lot 3, the ones which received the large proportion 
of corn-and-cob meal, dressed out the highest, each calf in this lot 
dressing 53.1 per cent of the market weights. The calves in lots 1 
and 2 dressed out 51.7 and 51.5 per cent, respectively. 

The trip was a hard one on the calves, and when the size of the 
animals is taken into consideration they shrank heavily on the road 
to Cincinnati. The average loss in weight for each calf was 57.8 
pounds in lot 1, 53.5 pounds in lot 2, and 57.7 pounds in lot 3.. 



20 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

SUMMARY. 

The first experiment is summarized as follows: 
Table 7. — Summary statement. 



Item. 



Lot 1. 



Lot 2. 



Lots. 



Calves in each lot 

Ration 

Total days fed 

Average weight when 

feeding began. 

Average final weight 

Average gain of each calf. . . 
Average daily gain of eacli 

calf. 

Pounds feed to make 100 
pounds gain. 

Cost to make 100 pounds 

gain. 
Price realized on each ton 

of cottonseed meal when 

other prices are fixed. 
Price reaUzed on each ton 

of hulls when other 

prices are fixed. 
Price reaUzed on each 

bushels of corn when 

other prices are fixed. 
Price realized on each ton 

of hay when other prices 

are fixed. 
Fall price of calves per cwt . 
Selling price of calves per 

cwt. 
Profit on each calf above 

all expenses. 



27 

Cottonseed meal . 



Cottonseed hulls . . 
Mixed alfalfa hay . 



119 

338 pounds. . 

541 pounds.. 
203 pounds. . 
L 71 pounds. 



179 pounds meal . 
435 pounds hulls . 
315 pounds hay . . 



$6.22.. 
$36.10. 

$11.15. 



$3.50. 
$5.01 . 



$1.84. 



24 

Cottonseed meal, two- 
thirds. 

Corn-and-cob meal, one- 
third. 

Cottonseed hulls 

Mixed alfalfa hay 

119 

333 pounds 



543 pounds. . 
210 pounds. . 
1.76 pounds. 



133 pounds meal. 
65 pounds corn. ., 
425 pounds hulls. 
310 pounds hay. . 
$6.19 



$42.18. 
$12.05. 
$1.90.. 
$20.92. 



$3.50. 
$5.11. 



$2.25. 



26. 

Cottonseed meal, one- 
third. 

Corn-and-cob meal, two- 
thirds. 

Cottonseed hulls. 

Mixed alfalfa hay. 

119. 

328 pounds. 

646 pounds. 
218 pounds. 
1.83 pounds. 

130 pounds meal, 
211 pounds corn. 
400 pounds hulls. 
218 pounds hay. 
$6.83. 

$36.50. 
$10.40. 
$0.95. 
$21.25. 



$3.50. 
$5.26. 



1. The animals used m. the experiment were calves ranging from 6 
to 8 months in age. 

2. The feeding was begun November 17, 1910, and contmued until 
March 17, 1911. 

3. The 77 calves were divided into three lots and each lot fed upon 
the folio wiirg feeds: 

Lot 1. Cottonseed meal; cottonseed hulls; mixed alfalfa hay. 
Lot. 2. Cottonseed meal, two-thirds; corn-and-cob meal, one-third; 
cottonseed hulls; mixed alfalfa hay. Lot 3. Cottonseed meal, one- 
third; corn-and-cob meal, two-thirds; cottonseed hulls; mixed 
alfalfa hay. 

4. Durmg the whole feeding period each calf m lots 1, 2, and 3 made 
an average daily gain of 1.71, 1.76, and 1.83 pounds, respectively. 

5. When the whole feeding period is taken mto consideration the 
foUowing pounds of feed were required to make 100 pounds of gain: 

Lot 1: 179 pounds of cottonseed meal, 435 pounds of hulls, and 
315 pounds of hay. Lot 2 : 133 pounds of cottonseed meal, 65 pounds 
of corn-and-cob meal, 425 pounds of huUs, and 310 pounds of hay. 



SUMMARY EXPERIMENT I. 21 

Lot 3: 130 pounds of cottonseed meal, 211 pounds of com-and-cob 
meal, 400 pounds of liuUs, and 218 pounds of hay. 

6. When the whole feeding period is taken into consideration, each 
100 pounds of gain in lots 1, 2, and 3 cost $6.22, $6.19, and $6.83, 
respectively. 

7. Cottonseed meal cost $26 a ton, but, by means of the calves, was 
sold for $36.10, $42.18, and $36.50 a ton in lots 1, 2, and 3, respec- 
tively, when the prices of the other feeds were fixed. 

8. Cottonseed hulls cost $7 a ton, but, by means of the calves, each 
ton was sold for $11.15, $12.05, and $10.40 m lots 1, 2, and 3, respec- 
tively, when the prices of the other feeds were fixed. 

9. By means of the calves each bushel of corn was sold for $1.90 
and $0.95 m lots 2 and 3, respectively, when the prices of the other 
feeds were fixed. 

10. By means of the calves each ton of alfalfa hay was sold for $20.72, 
$20.92, and $21.25 in lots 1, 2, and 3, respectively, when the prices of 
the other feeds were fixed. 

11. The calves cost $3.50 per hundredweight at the beginnmg of 
the test. At the close they sold for $5.01, $5.11, and $5.26 per hun- 
dredweight m lots 1, 2, and 3, respectively. 

12. Each calf netted a clear profit of $1.84, $2.25, and $1.48 in lots 
1, 2, and 3, respectively. 

13. The profits were satisfactory, as the farm crops were sold for 
considerably more, by means of the calves, than if they had been 
sold as farm crops, and the value of the fertilizer should also be 
considered. 



II. FATTENING CALVES IN WINTER ON COTTONSEED 
MEAL, COTTONSEED HULLS, AND PEA-VINE HAY. 

Fifty-two calves were used in the second experiment, the main 
objects of which were: 

1. To determine whether or not young beef calves can be fattened 
profitably for the spring market on a feed of cottonseed meal, cotton- 
seed hulls, and mixed pea-vine hay. 

2. To study the value of shelter for young calves while being 
fattened. 

The 52 calves were divided into two lots when the test began on 
December 7, 1910. One lot was fed under the shelter of a good barn, 
the other lot being fed in a corn-stalk field with no shelter at all 
except some trees. It was subsequently seen, however, that these 
young calves would not thrive during the winter months without 
a shelter to turn the cold rains, so on February 11, 1911, they were 
brought into the barns and placed under the sheds with the other 
calves. After February 11 the 52 head of calves were fed as one lot. 

The work was done in cooperation with Mr. E. F. Allison, of 
Sumter County, Ala., who had kindly agreed to cooperate in experi- 
mental work with beef cattle and hogs. Mr. Allison furnished the 
calves and the feed, while the bureau and the experiment station 
provided a trained man to be stationed on the farm to look after 
the experiment. Mr. L. W. Shook lived on the farm and had per- 
sonal charge of the work. 

THE CALVES. 

The majority of the calves used in this experiment were raised on 
the farm of Mr. Allison, near Bellamy, Ala. A few calves were pur- 
chased from neighbors. More than half of those raised on Mr. Alli- 
son's farm were grade Aberdeen-Angus of excellent quality. The 
ones which were purchased from neighbors were of common quality 
and showed very little beef blood. As a whole, they were not as 
large or as good in quality as were the calves which were used in 
the other two tests reported in this bulletin. ^Tien the test began 
they had attained an average weight of 313 pounds. The calves 
were born during the spring of 1910, so were from 6 to 8 months 
old when the test began, December 7, 1910. They were valued at 
3 cents a pound at the beginning of the experiment. 

22 



CHARACTER AND PRICE OF RATIONS EXPERIMENT II. 



23 



PLAN OF THE WORK. 

At the beginning of the test the 52 calves were divided into two 
lots of 26 each. One lot was fed in a small paddock, across the west 
side of which extended a good shelter. As previously stated, the 
intention at first was to feed the second lot of calves without shelter; 
that is, they were to be fed in a cornfield where no shelter, except 
trees, was available. All were started on feed December 7, 1910 
but it was seen that the calves without shelter were not maldng 
satisfactory and economical gains, as the winter was unusually wet 
and cold, so on February 11, 1911, the field lot of calves was 
brought to the barn and placed with the other calves. The whole 
52 head were fed together in one lot from February 1 1 to the end of 
the test, March 29, 1911. 

On account of the fact that the two lots were finally thrown 
together into one, the test is presented in this publication as one lot. 

PRICES AND QUALITY OF FEEDS. 

Cottonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, and mixed cowpea hay were 
the feeds used. The cowpea hay was grown upon the farm; the 
other two feeds were purchased on the market. On March 20, 1911, 
the supply of cowpea hay was exhausted and a change was made to a 
rather poor quality of hay, composed of crab grass, with a small 
trace of Lespedeza and pea vines. The feeds were valued as follows: 

Cottonseed meal per ton. . $26. 00 

Cottonseed hulls do 7. 00 

Mixed pea- vine hay do 15. 00 

DAILY RATIONS. 

During the first month no hay was fed, but it was thought that it 
would be profitable to use some hay along with the hulls, so it was 
provided after the first month. 

It sljould be remembered in studying the following daily feeds 
that these were young and small calves. Their average weight was 
only 313 pounds when the test began. 

Table 8. — DaUy ration for each calf, by monthly "periods, from Dec. 7, 1910, to Mar. 29, 

1911. 



Period. 



Cottonseed 
meal. 



Cottonseed 
hulls. 



Hay. 



First 28 days. . 
Second 28 days 
Third 28 days. 
Fourth 28 days 



Pounds. 
2.84 
3.11 
3.27 
3.09 



Pounds. 
10.20 
10.40 
9.94 
9.60 



Pounds. 


2.04 
2.04 
1.92 



24 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



During no period did the calves average more than 3.27 pounds 
each of cottonseed meal daily. Even with this small allowance of the 
meal a few calves scoured. They were given a definite number of 
pounds of hulls along with the meal, and all of the hay they would 
eat up clean after each meal. They ate, on the average, practically 
10 pounds of hulls per calf per day, and slightly more than 2 pounds 
of hay. Many feeders would criticise these rations as being too small, 
but satisfactory gains were made. 

WEIGHTS AND GAINS. 

The calves did not make unusually large gains, but when their size 
is taken into consideration it is seen that they increased in weight at 
a reasonable rate. The feeding period was continued for 112 days, 
and during this time an average daily gain of 1.24 pounds was secured. 

Table 9.— Weights and gains for total feeding period of 112 days, from Dec. 7, 1910, to 

Mar. 29, 1911. 



Number of calves. 


Average 

initial 

weight of 

each calf. 


Average 

final 
weight of 
each calf. 


Average 

total 

gain of 

each calf. 


Average 

daily 

gain of 

each calf. 


52 


Pounds. 
313 


Pounds. 

452 


Pounds. 
139 


Pounds. 
1.24 







At the inauguration of the experiment each calf weighed 313 
pounds; at the close they had attained an average weight of 452 
pounds; hence, during the feeding period of 112 days (Dec. 7, 
1910, to Mar. 29, 1911) each calf made a total gain of 139 pounds. 
The animals were thrifty throughout the whole test. 

QUANTITY AND COST OF FEED REQUIRED TO MAKE 100 POUNDS 

GAIN. 

Considering that these calves were fattened in the winter time and 
upon dry feeds altogether, the gains as shown in the table below were 
produced at an unusually small expense. This was due largely to the 
fact that the animals were young. The younger the animal the more 
cheaply can the gains be made. As a rule, the feeder can not expect 
to produce gains as cheaply on mature as on young cattle. 

Table 10. — Quantity and cost of feed required to make 100 pounds of gain. 



Number of 
animals. 



Ration. 



Pounds of feed 

required to 

make 100 

pounds of gain. 



Cost of feed 

to make 100 

pounds of 

gain. 



(Cottonseed meal. . . 
■(Cottonseed hulls. . 
[Mixed cowpea hay 



Pounds. 



249 
808 
121 



$6.97 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT — EXPERIMENT II. 25 

It is seen that 249 pounds of cottonseed meal, 808 pounds of cotton- 
seed hulls, and 121 pounds of hay were required to make 100 pounds 
of gain; or, when feeds are valued as on page 23, it cost $6.97 to make 
100 pounds of increase in live weight. 

AMOUNT REALIZED ON EACH TON OF FEED WHEN PRICES OF THE 
OTHER FEEDS ARE FIXED. 

This test again emphasizes the facts, fii'st, that the farmer can well 
afford to buy commercial feeds for his beef animals during the fatten- 
ing process, and second, when he has home-raised feeds to sell greater 
prices can be realized on them when they are sold by means of live 
stock than when sold upon the general grain or hay market. Each 
ton of feed used was sold, by means of the calves, for the following 
prices : 

Price realized on each ton of cottonseed meal when other prices are fixed $46. 32 

Price realized on each ton of cottonseed hulls when other prices are fixed 13. 24 

Price realized on each ton of mixed hay when other prices are fixed 56. 61 

Cottonseed meal cost $26 a ton, but it was sold, by means of the 
calves, for $46.32 a ton. The cottonseed hulls cost $7 a ton and this 
sum was nearly doubled by means of the calves, the price realized 
being $13.24 a ton. The price realized on the hay was, of course, 
abnormally high, as not much hay was fed; only 4.37 tons were used 
throughout the wliole test, but this small amount was sold, by means 
of the calves, for $56.61 a ton when cottonseed meal and hulls are 
valued at $26 and $7 a ton, respectively. 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 

At the beginning of the experiment the calves were valued at 3 cents 
a pound. When they were ready to be sold, March 29, 1911, they were 
shipped to New Orleans, where they sold for an average of $5.55 per 
hundredweight. All expenses were taken into consideration in the 
financial statement below, such as freight, feed, yardage, and commis- 
sion for selling in New Orleans. These calves were not sold by farm 
weight, so the financial statement is based on New Orleans weights and 
prices : 

Table 11. — Financial statement. 

By sale of 52 calves, 23,212 pounds, at $5.55 $1, 288. 27 

To 52 calves, 16,304 pounds, at 3 cents a pound $489. 12 

To 17,900 pounds of cottonseed meal, at $26 a ton 232. 70 

To 58,303 pounds of cottonseed hulls, at $7 a ton 204. 06 

To 8,743 pounds of mixed pea-vine hay, at $15 a ton 65. 57 

To shipping expenses, commission, yardage, etc., on 52 calves 114. 92 

Total expense 1,106.37 

Total profit 181.90 

Profit per calf 3. 50 



26 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



After all expenses were charged against the calves they netted a 
clear profit of $3.50 each. This was a satisfactory profit. It cost 
$2.21 to ship each calf to New Orleans and pay all the sellmg expenses 
upon their arrival; the total shipping expense amounted to 49 cents 
for each 100 pounds live weight. 

SLAUGHTER RECORDS. 

As stated before, these calves were shipped to New Orleans, where 
slaughter records were secured. They were driven 3 miles to the 
railroad at Bellamy, Ala., to be loaded on the cars: 

Table 12. — Slaughter data. 





Live weights. 


Shrinkage. 


Percent dressed. 


Number of calves. 


Total on 
farm. 


On farm 

after 3 per 

cent 

shrink. 


At New 
Orleans. 


Total. 


Average 
per calf. 


By shrunk 

farm 

weight. 


By market 
weight. 


45 


Pounds. 
20, 475 


Pounds. 
19,861 


Pounds. 
19, 935 


Pounds. 
540 


Pounds. 
12 


Per cent. 
52.8 


Per cent. 
52.7 







There were 52 calves altogether, but the dressed weights of only 
45 were secured. The animals lost an average of 12 pounds each 
during the trip to New Orleans; this was an unusually small shrink- 
age. They dressed out 52.7 per cent by New Orleans weights, and 
52.8 per cent by farm weights, after a 3 per cent shrink. 

SUMMARY. 

The second experiment is summarized as follows: 

Table 13. — Summary statement. 

Total number of calves.^ 52 

Average weight of each calf at beginning of test (Dec. 7, 1910) pounds. . 313 

Average weight of each calf at end of test (Mar. 29, 1911) do 452 

Average gain of each calf do 139 

Average daily gain each calf for 112 days do 1. 24 

Tmeal do 249 

Pounds feed required to make 100 pounds of gain . . | hulls do 808 

[hay do.... 121 

Cost to make 100 pounds of gain $6. 97 

Price realized on each ton cottonseed meal, prices of other feeds being fixed. . $46. 32 

Price realized on each ton cottonseed hulls, prices of other feeds being fixed . $13. 24 

Price realized on each ton hay, prices of other feeds being fixed $56. 61 

Value of calves at beginning of test (Dec. 7, 1910) hundredweight. . $3. 00 

Selling price of calves at New Orleans, Mar. 29, 1911 do $5. 55 

Total profit on each calf $3. 50 



SUMMARY — EXPERIMENT II. 27 

1. The calves used in this test were from 6 to 8 months old when 
the experiment began, December 7, 1910. 

2. The}^ were valued at $3 per hundredweight when the tost began. 

3. At the beginning of the test the calves averaged 313 pounds in 
weight; at the close (Mar. 29, 1911) they had attained an average 
weight of 452 pounds. The}'' made an average daily gain of 1.24 
pounds. 

4. There were required 249 pounds of cottonseed meal, 808 pounds 
of cottonseed hulls, and 121 pounds of mixed cowpea hay to make 
100 pounds of increase in live weight. The cost of 100 pounds gain 
was S6.97. 

5. The price realized for each feed when sold through the calves, and 
when the prices of the other feeds were fixed, was as follows : Cotton- 
seed meal, $46.32 per ton; cottonseed hulls, $13.24 per ton; pea-vine 
hay, $56.61 per ton. 

6. On March 29, 1911, the calves were shipped to New Orleans and 
sold for $5.55 per hundredweight. Each calf netted a clear profit of 
$3.50. 



III. WINTERING CALVES FOLLOWED BY FATTENING ON 

PASTURE. 

The third experiment was carried on in cooperation with Messrs. 
Cobb and McMillan, of Sumter County, Ala. As in the previous test 
(Part I of this bulletin), these farmers furnished the cattle and the 
feed, and the Bureau of Animal Industry and the Alabama Experi- 
ment Station placed a trained man upon the farm to carry on the 
experimental work. One of the authors of this bulletin, Mr. W. F. 
Ward, was stationed on the farm and had personal supervision of the 
test. 

PLAN AND OBJECT OF THE WORK. 

The calves in this experiment were born during the spring of 1909. 
During the summer of 1909 they were with their mothers on a reason- 
ably good pasture and received no particular attention except being 
salted regularly. When fall arrived and the pastures were exhausted 
they were taken from their mothers, weaned, tagged, dehorned, and 
the males castrated. They were then put up in an acre lot in which 
there was no grass, and were fed all winter on a ration of cottonseed 
meal, corn chop, cottonseed huUs, and mixed alfalfa hay. The object 
was to give them sufficient feed to produce good gains all through the 
winter months, but not to fatten them for the market until the pasture 
was available in the following spring. By the latter part of March, 
1910, sweet clover (Melilotus) had appeared, so the calves were 
changed from the winter feed to tliis pasture and fed some cottonseed 
cake and alfalfa hay in addition. They were kept upon this pasture 
until June 22, 1910, when they were sold. During the latter part of 
the grazing season there was some Japan clover (Lespedeza) and Ber- 
muda in the pasture. During all tliis time the calves were given a 
small daily feed of cottonseed cake along with the pasture. 

The object of the work was to determine the profit, if any, in 
handUng and feeding beef calves in accordance with the above plan. 

THE CALVES. 

The 34 calves used in tliis test were a good grade; none of them 
was purebred, but the majority contained fi-om one-half to three- 
fourths of Aberdeen- Angus, Hereford, or Shorthorn blood. The 
majority of the calves were raised on the farm where the experimental 
work was done; some few of them, however, were purchased from 
neighbors just before the inauguration of the experiment. As before 

28 



B'JL. 147, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



Plate III. 




O 



FEED AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIMENT III. 29 

stated, they had all been born during the spring of 1909, so were from 
7 to 8 months old when they were first weighed, December 3, 1909. 
For their age they were not large, although they were larger than the 
average calves of the State. At the beginning of the work their 
average weight was 386 pounds. 

FEED AND MANAGEMENT. 

December 3, 1909, the calves were placed in the acre lot, in which 
was a good shed that afforded ample protection from cold rains and 
wind. On the above date the winter feeding began. They were 
salted at regular intervals. Good, clean, fresh water was kept in 
troughs all of the time. The hay racks and the feed bunks or troughs 
were all under shelter so that the calves could eat in a comfortable 
place no matter how inclement the weather became. During the win- 
ter months they were fed twice daily, once early in the morning and 
again an hour or so before dark. 

When the grass appeared in the spring (March 22, 1910) each calf 
was weighed and all were turned upon the pasture to be fattened on 
grass. While on pasture they were fed only once a day, and this was 
done about sundown, or in the cool part of the afternoon, so that all 
would come out to the feed troughs. The feed, which consisted of 
cottonseed cake and alfalfa hay, was not thrown upon the ground; 
the cake was placed in feed troughs situated at convenient places in 
the pastures, and the hay was fed from hay racks. When cattle are 
thus fed in properly constructed hay racks and troughs practically no 
feed is wasted. 

The pasture was not free from ticks, so the calves became slightly 
infested. However, they were dipped at irregular intervals, and very 
few ticks appeared on them. No Texas fever cases developed. 

A good supply of water was afforded by a creek and an artificial pool. 

THE PASTURE. 

In the western part of Alabama sweet clover (Melilotus) appears 
earlier than any other pasture plant. In the spring of 1910 this 
clover pasture was ready for grazing by March 22, but it did not 
afford complete and satisfactory grazing at this early date. However, 
no hay was used to supplement the pasture until April 29, when a 
small allowance of freshly cut alfalfa hay was added to the pasture 
and cake ration. Later on in the season the sweet clover died down, 
when Japan clover (Lespedeza), some Bermuda, and carpet grass 
constituted the main grazing plants. 

The pasture had been in cultivation during the season of 1909, so 
did not furnish ample grazing, as the grasses had not become thor- 
oughly estabHshed. Still the calves made good and economical gains 
during the pasture season. The 34 animals were grazed upon a field 
which contained practically 100 acres. 



30 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



CHARACTER AND PRICES OF FEEDS. 

Cottonseed meal, cottonseed cake, cottonseed hulls, corn chop, and 
freshly cut alfalfa hay were all used at various times throughout the 
test. The purchased feeds were charged against the calves at the 
market prices. Estimated prices, corresponding as nearly as possible 
to the market prices, were placed upon the two feeds which were 
grown upon the farm. The following prices were placed upon the 
feeds : 

Cottonseed meal per ton . . $26. 00 

Cottonseed cake (broken) do 26. 00 

Cottonseed hulls do 7. 00 

Corn chop per bushel. . . 70 

Alfalfa hay per ton. . 15. 00 

Pasture per head per month. . . 50 

During the winter months a hay made up of a mixture of Johnson 

grass and alfalfa was fed, but that which was fed along with the 

pasture was practically all freshly cut alfalfa. The corn, which was 

grown on the farm, was used in the shape of corn chop, the shelled corn 

being run through a grinder wliich crushed the grain into a coarse meal. 

The cottonseed meal and the cottonseed cake were both purchased 

from a near-by oil mill. The cake had been broken into nut size and 

sacked; this had been done at the mill. All of the feeds were of good 

quaUty. 

DAILY RATIONS. 

As noted in the early part of this bulletin, young animals must be 
fed with a great deal of care and skill; they require more care and 
attention than steers and oxen. These calves were fed at practically 
the same hour each day, -and received a definite amount of feed. This 
daily allowance of feed was limited, and it was expected that the 
troughs would be clean within an hour after each feeding. 

Table 1A.— Daily feed for each calf for the whole period (Dec. 3, 1909, to June 22, 1910). 



Period. 



Daily ration. 



Winter period (Dec. 3 to 
Mar. 24). 



Pasture period (Mar. 
25 to June 22). 



First 28 days... 
Second 28 days. 
Third 28 days. 
I'ourth 28 days 



Pounds. 
2.18 cottonseed meal. . 

1.38 com cliop 

3.93 mixed alfalfa hay 
7.13 cottonseed hulls. 
1.68 cottonseed meal.. 

2.40 corn cliop 

3.99 mixed alfalfa bay 
7.23 cottonseed hulls . 
1.38 cottonseed meal.. 

1.07 corn chop. , 

3.82 mixed alfalfa hay 

9.39 cottonseed hulls . 
1.48 cottonseed meal.. 

.72 corn chop 

3.36 mixed alfalfa hay 
10.24 cottonseed hulls. 



Pounds. 
1.23 cottonseed cake. 



85 cottonseed cake. 
59 alfalfa hay. 



i cottonseed cq,ke. 
!.74 alfalfa hay. 



i cottonseed cake.' 
!.74 alfalfa hay.' 



I Remainder of pasture season, 5 days. 



DAILY RATIONS EXPERIMENT III. 



31 



It will be seen that the calves did not get a heavy grain ration at any- 
time. For the first 28 days of the winter period each calf was given 
practically 3.5 pounds of grain each day; during the second period of 28 
days the quantity was raised to 4 pounds for each calf daily. This 
quantity was too expensive, though, so the grain part of the ration 
was reduced considerably during the third period of 28 days. The 
object was to get these calves through the winter as cheaply as possi- 
ble, and still produce reasonable and steady gains. The pasture was 
looked forward to as the feed for making rapid and cheap gains, so the 
high-priced wdnter feeds were used as sparingly as possible. It will be 
seen later, however, that the calves made satisfactory gains in the 
winter months. 

During the winter months a definite quantity of cottonseed hulls 
was weighed out to the animals at each feed. It will be seen that 
for the first 28 days each calf ate 7.13 pounds of hulls daily, while 
during the last 28 days the daily allowance was raised to 10.24 pounds. 
AKaKa hay was fed ad libitum ; they were given all they cared to eat 
after receiving the regular feed of hulls and concentrates. They did 
not consume much alfalfa hay, however, as the average was under 4 
pounds daily. 

When the pasture season arrived, March 25, 1909, the calves were 
turned upon grass and given an average daily feed of 3.23 pounds 
of cottonseed cake for the first 28 days. The pasture was not good at 
this early date, and the calves made only 0.23 of a pound average 
daily gain per head during the first period. It would probably have been 
profitable at this time to have supplemented the pasture with some 
alfalfa hay, but the hay could not be secured. By April 29 a new 
crop of alfalfa had been cut, so that date marked the beginning of 
the use of the hay. After this date hay was fed each day until the 
calves were sold. During the last 33 days of the test each calf was 
given a daily feed of 5 pounds of cottonseed cake and 2.74 pounds of 
alfalfa hay along with the pasture. 

WEIGHTS AND GAINS. 

These calves were larger than those used in the test reported 
in Part I. Wlien the test began the calves averaged 386 pounds in 
weight; when it closed, they averaged 628 pounds, or they made 
an average total gain of 242 pounds each from December 3, 1909, to 
June 22, 1910. Taken as a whole, the gains were entirely satisfactory. 

Table 15. — Total and daily gains. 



Period. 


Number 
of calves. 


Number 

of davs 

fed." 


Average 

initial 

weight of 

each calf. 


Average 

final 
weight of 
each calf. 


Average 

total 
gain of 
each calf. 


Average 

daily 

gain of 

each calf. 


Winter period (Dec. 3, to Mar. 24) 


34 
34 


112 

89 


Pounds. 
386 
509 


Pounds. 
512 
628 


Pounds. 
126 
119 


Pounds. 
1.13 


Pasture period (Mar. 25 to June 22) 


1.33 



32 



FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 



The calves were in the test 201 days. For the first 112 days they 
were on dry winter feed ; during tlie final 89 days they were on pasture. 
Each calf made an average total gain of 126 pounds from December 
3, 1909, to March 24, 1910, or an average daily gain of 1.13 pounds. 
This was satisfactory. On March 24, they averaged 512 pounds in 
weight and were from 11 to 12 months of age. 

During the pasture season of 89 days (March 25 to June 22), the 
calves made an average total gain of 119 pounds each, or an average 
daily gain of 1.33 pounds. These gains were also satisfactory, but 
nothing unusual. When the test closed on June 22 the calves had 
reached an average weight of 628 pounds. They were from 14 to 15 
months old at this time. 



QUANTITY AND COST OF FEED REQUIRED TO MAKE 100 POUNDS 

GAIN. 

The table below shows the average daily ration for each calf, the 
pounds of feed required to make 100 pounds of increase in live 
weight, and the cost to make the gains. In this connection it should 
be remembered that these were young and small animals. As a 
result of their being young and small their daily feed was small and 
their gains were made economically. 

Table 16. — Average daily ration and quantity and cost of feed to make 100 pounds of gain. 



Period. 


Ration. 


Average 

daily feed per 

calf. 


Pounds feed 

to make 

100 pounds of 

gain. 


Cost to 
make 100 
pounds 
of gain. 




fCottonseed meal 


Pounds. 
1.68 
1.39 
8.49 
3.77 
4.06 
1.55 


Pounds. 
149 
123 
754 
335 
305 
116 




Winter period (Dec. 3 to Mar. 24) 

Pasture period(Mar. 25 to June 22) 


1 Cottonseed hulls 

IMixed alfalfa hay 

fCottonseed cake 

\Alfalfa hay 


[ $8. 63 
^ 4.84 









It cost S8.63 to make 100 pounds of gain during the winter period 
but the same gains were made for only S4.84 when the calves were 
on pasture and received a partial ration of cottonseed cake and 
alfalfa hay. This strikingly illustrates the importance and value of 
pastures. During the winter months expensive gains are almost 
always encountered, no matter what kind of live stock is being raised 
or fattened. This condition of affairs is usually due to two factors. 
First, the feeds which are used during the winter months are the 
high-priced ones, and, second, smaller gains are usually secured 
(especially with young and growing stock) during the cold months, 
and small gains are almost always expensive. 

The cost of the summer gains was small compared with that of the 
winter gains, yet these summer gains were unusually expensive. In 



niTANCIAL STATEMENT EXPERIMENT III. 33 

previous pasture-feeding work in this State * summer gains have 
been made for S2.56 to $3.24 per hundred pounds increase in live 
weight when cake was fed along with the pasture. The short pasture 
during the early part of the test probably accounts for the expensive 
gains; the calves made a daily gain of only 0.23 of a pound during 
the first 28 days of the summer feeding. 

PRICES REALIZED FOR FEEDS AS A RESULT OF FEEDING TO CALVES. 

It will be seen below that excellent prices were realized upon all 
of the feeds used during the fattening period. By means of the 
calves the feeds were sold for a greater price than they would have 
brought had they been placed upon the open grain or hay markets. 
The feeds brought the following prices as a result of being fed to the 
calves: 

Cottonseed meal per ton . . $45. 93 

Corn chop per bushel. . 1. 37 

Cottonseed hulls per ton. . 10. .99 

Hay fed in winter do 23. 89 

Cottonseed cake do 35. 82 

Alfalfa hay during pasture season do 21. 48 

Pasture rental per head per month. . 1.06 

The cottonseed cake cost $26 a ton, but was resold, by means of 
the calves, for $35.82 a ton, as above shown. If the hay had been 
sold on the market it would have brought approximately $15 a ton, 
but when it was fed to the calves and marketed by means of them 
each ton realized $21.48 to $23.89. When measured in terms of 
profits made on the calves, the pasture was rented for $1.06 a month 
for each calf. If the corn had been hauled to town and sold it would 
not have brought over 70 cents a bushel, but when it was fed to the 
calves each bushel realized $1.37. The cottonseed meal and hulls 
were sold through the calves for $45.93 and $10.99 a ton, respectively. 

These results all emphasize the fact that the farmer can usually 
sell his farm crops by means of some kind of live stock for more than 
can be obtained for them when placed on the markets as raw farm 
products. 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 

As stated before, the majority of these calves were raised on the 
farm whei'e the work was done. As they were not purchased on the 
open market, an estimated fall value was placed upon them. They 
were estimated to be worth 3 J cents a pound when the winter work 
began, December 3, 1909. They were fed through the winter, all 
feeds being charged against them at the regular market prices, so 
by the time spring arrived they had cost considerably more than the 



See Bureau of Animal Industry Bulletin 131, or Alabama Station Bulletin 151. 



34 ■ FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

above fall price. The following statement shows the complete cost 
of the calves up to March 25, 1910: 

Table 17. — Total cost of the calves on March 25, 1910. 

To 34 calves, 13,118 pounds at 3^ cents (fall value) $459. 13 

To 6,414 pounds cottonseed meal at |26 a ton 83. 38 

To 5,303 pounds of corn chop at 70 cents a bushel 66. 21 

To 32,356 pounds of cottonseed hulls at |7 a ton 113. 25 

To 14,380 pounds of mixed alfalfa hay at $15 a ton 107. 85 

Total cost of calves March 25, 1910 829. 82 

On March 25, 1910, the 34 calves weighed 17,313 pounds, and 
their total cost had reached $4.79 + per hundredweight, consequently 
they were valued at this sum for the pasture work. It cost $10.90 
to feed each calf from December 3, 1909, to March 24, 1910. 

Table 18. — Results of fattening the calves on pasture. 

By sale of 34 calves, 20,702 pounds, at 5^ cents a pound $1, 138. 61 

To 34 calves, 17,313 pounds, at $4.79 + per cwt $829. 82 

To 12,291 pounds cottonseed cake at $26 a ton 159. 78 

To 4,691 pounds alfalfa hay at $15 a ton 35. 18 

To total pasture rent, 89 days (Mar. 25 to June 22), at 50 cents 
per head per month 50. 43 

Total expenses 1, 075. 21 

Total profit 63. 40 

Profit per calf 1. 86 

These calves were sold June 22, 1910, for 5^ cents a pound on the 
farm, after a 3 per cent shrink. They were shipped to the Meridian 
(Miss.) market for slaughter. 

The above shows that a profit of $1.86 was made on each calf after 
all expenses were taken into account. The financial statement means 
that the calves were put into the test at 3^ cents a pound in the fall 
of 1909; that the alfalfa hay which was grown on the farm was sold 
for $15 a ton; that the corn, which was also produced upon the farm, 
was disposed of for 70 cents a bushel; and, finally, that an additional 
profit of $1.86 was made on each calf. This was satisfactory, espe- 
cially when it is recalled that a large amount of manure was pro= 
duced while the calves were being fed. 

SLAUGHTER RECORDS. 

The calves were shipped to Meridian, Miss., for slaughter. They 
were driven to Scooba, Miss., a distance of 11 miles, to be loaded on 
the cars. Through a misunderstanding the live weights were not 
secured at Meridian, but the individual weights of the dressed car- 
casses were all secured. 



SUMMARY EXPERIMENT III. 

Table 19. — Slaughter data. 



35 





Live weights. 


Dressed 
weight. 


Per cent 
dressed by- 
shrunk 

farm 
weight. 


Number of calves. 


Total on 
farm. 


On farm 
after 3 per 
cent shrink. 


34 


Pounds. 
21,342 


Pounds. 
20, 702 


Pounds. 
11,258 


Poundn. 
54.4 







It will be seen that the calves dressed out, by farm weights, after 
allowing 3 per cent for shrinkage, 54.4 per cent, which is nearly 2 per 
cent higher than the best showing of the winter-fed calves in Parts I 
and II. The carcasses were good ones and made an excellent appear- 
ance when hung up in the cooler. 

SUMMARY. 

Table 20. — Summary Statement. 

Cost of calves fall of 1909 $3.50 

Average weight of calves Dec. 3, 1909 pounds. . 386 

Average daily ration from Dec. 3, 1909, to Mar. 24, 1910: 

Cottonseed meal do 1. 68 

Corn chop do 1. 39 

Cottonseed hulls do 8. 49 

Mixed alfalfa hay do 3. 77 

Average weight of calves Mar. 24, 1911 do 512 

Average daily gain during the winter months do 1. 13 

Cost to make 100 pounds increase in live weight during the winter months. . . $8. 63 

Cost to feed each calf through the winter months $10. 90 

Total cost of calves when put on pasture Mar. 24, 1910 per cwt. . $4. 79+ 

Cost to make 100 pounds increase in live weight on pasture $4. 84 

Each ton of cottonseed cake was sold, prices of other feeds being fixed, by 

means of calves, for $35. 82 

Each ton of alfalfa hay was sold, prices of other feeds being fixed, by means of 

calves, for .' $21. 48 

Selling price of calves on farm, after 3 per cent shrink per cwt. . $5. 50 

Profit on each calf $1. 86 

1. The calves used in this work were of a good grade. They were 
from 7 to 8 months old when the test began. 

2. They were fed through the winter of 1909-10 on cottonseed 
meal, corn chop, cottonseed hulls, and mixed alfalfa hay. In the 
spring of 1910 the calves were put in a pasture and finished for the 
market on pasture, cottonseed cake, and alfalfa hay. 

3. During the winter season (Dec. 3, 1909 to Mar. 24, 1910) the 
calves made an average total gain of 126 pounds, or an average 
daily gain of 1.13 pounds. 

4. During the pasture season (Mar. 25, 1910 to June 22, 1910) the 
calves made an average total gain of 119 pounds, or an average 
daily gain of 1.33 pounds. 



36 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

5. During the winter season 149 pounds of cottonseed meal, 123 
pounds of corn chop, 754 pounds of hulls, and 335 pounds of hay, at 
a total cost of $8.63, were required to make 100 pounds of increase 
in live weight. 

6. During the pasture season 305 pounds of cottonseed cake and 
116 pounds of alfalfa hay, at a total cost of $4.84, were required to 
make 100 pounds of increase in live weight. 

7. Each ton of cottonseed cake was sold, by means of the calves, 
for $35.82 when the other feeds were valued as indicated in this 
bulletin. 

8. Each ton of alfalfa hay was sold, by means of the cal¥es, for 
$21.48 when the other feeds were valued as indicated in this bulletin. 

9. Each ton of cottonseed meal was sold, by means of the calves, 
for $45.93 when the other feeds were valued as indicated in this 
bulletin. 

10. Each ton of cottonseed hulls was sold, by means of the calves, 
for $10.99 when the other feeds were valued as indicated in this 
bulletin. 

11. Each bushel of corn chop was sold, by means of the calves, for 
$1.37 when the other feeds were valued as indicated in this bulletin. 



IV. GENERAL STATEMENT. 

While the calves in Parts I, II, and III of this bulletin were fattened 
in different ways and by different methods, all were raised and handled 
in the same manner up to the time of being placed in the dry lots. 
All were born during the spring months and ran with their mothers 
on a reasonably good pasture during their first summer; they ate 
notliing but mother's milk and pasture grasses during tliis time. 
Wlien the pasture season closed, wliich was practically December 1 
each year, the calves were weaned, dehorned, the males castrated, 
and all placed in feed lots to be fattened. At this time the different 
methods as previously outlined were introduced. In Part I the 
calves were divided into three lots and fattened upon cottonseed 
meal, corn-and-cob meal, cottonseed hulls, and alfalfa hay, for the 
early spring market; in Part II the calves were all fed in the same 
lot and finished for the early spring market on cottonseed meal, cot- 
tonseed hulls, and pea- vine hay; in Part III they were carried through 
their first winter on a ration slightly below a full feed and fattened 
the following summer on pasture supplemented by cottonseed cake 
and alfalfa hay. 

As a matter of fact, the winter feeding should have been inaug- 
urated before December 1, as the calves lost some of their calf fat, 
due to short pastures and decreased milk supply, before the feeding 
periods began. In farm practice it would be wise either to begin the 
winter feeding by November 1 or to have an oat or rye pasture for 
the young animals to graze upon after the permanent pastures are 
kiUed by frost. 

To feed calves as these were fed it is best to have them born as 

early as possible in the spring. This gives them an opportunity to 

attain a reasonable size and age by the time they are ready for sale 

the following spring or early summer. The southern markets prefer 

larger carcasses than the ones obtained from these calves. In some 

sections of the country, where the cows must be housed during the 

winter months, it is more desirable to have the calves come in the 

faU of the year, as the farmer has more time to care for the small 

animals during the winter than during the summer months, and the 

calves would be weaned in the spring, a season when their growth is 

least retarded. In the South, however, where range conditions still 

obtain, to have the calves come in the faU would involve the risk of 

losing both the mothers and the offspring. 

37 



38 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

The calves in Part I were sold March 17, those in Part II March 29, 
while those in Part III were fattened on pasture during the latter 
part of the feeding period and not disposed of until June 22. The 
calves in Parts I and II were practically 1 year old when sold, while 
those in Part III were from 14 to 16 months of age at the time of 
slaughter. As stated in the introduction, there are some advan- 
tages in selling calves at an early age. On the other hand, the 
farmer experiences difficulties in feeding young animals which are 
not encountered in feeding old and mature animals. In the first 
place, it would seldom, or never, pay to finish a poor grade of young 
calves for the market, as our markets sharply discriminate against 
young animals which carry a predominance of Jersey or scrub blood. 
In the second place, the farmer who feeds young animals of any land 
must be a careful and watchful feeder. An old animal may be fed 
and handled carelessly and satisfactoiy results still be obtained, but 
not so with the young animal. A single instance of overfeeding 
may so derange the intestinal tract of the young animal that further 
development is impossible. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The tests in this bulletin indicate that excellent profits may be 
made on calves when they are fed properly, handled carefuUy, and 
sold in a businesslike way. In Part I a clear profit of $1.84, S2.25, 
and $1.48 was realized on each calf in their respective lots; in Part II, 
where notliing was fed except cottonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, and 
pea- vine hay, a profit of $3.50 was realized on each animal; and in 
Part III, where the animals were fed a light ration of grain and hay 
throughout the winter months and finally finished on pasture, $1.86 
profit was reahzed on each calf. 

The reader should understand that these different experiments are 
not directly comparable, but they do, in a general way, teach us 
some lessons. The difi^erence in profits between the calves in Parts 
I and II was due largely to the selling price ; those in Part II simply 
sold to greater advantage. This difference in profits in favor of the 
calves in Part II was not due to the fact that they made gains more 
economically than those in Part I. On the contrary, the calves in 
Part I made 100 pounds of gain for $6.22, $6.19, and $6.83 in the 
respective lots, while the same gain cost $6.97 in Part II. While the 
calves in Part II were a cheaper grade than those in Part I (being 
valued at 3 cents a pound when the test began, while those in Part 
I were valued at 3 J cents a pound), still they sold for practically the 
same price when placed on the market; there was a difference of 
one-half a cent a pound in favor of the calves in Part II. The calves 
in Part I were sold on the Cincinnati market, while those in Part II 
were shipped to New Orleans. At the present time, and in fact for 



SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 39 

some years past, both cattle and hogs have been selling for better 
prices on the southern than on the northern markets. 

While the calves in Part III sold for a better price than those in 
the other tests, still they were not as profitable as some of the others. 
The selling price alone does not determine the final profit; other 
factors must be considered. It is seen that the winter gains in this 
test were expensive, costing $8.63 to make 100 pounds. While the 
cost of the subsequent pasture gains was small as compared to the 
winter gains, they were not sufficiently cheap to overcome the pre- 
ceding high-priced gains and thereby make a profit that was entirely 
satisfactory. Notwithstanding the fact that a profit was made on 
these calves, the authors are of the opinion that a greater profit would 
have been made if they had been fed more liberally during the winter 
months and sold in March or April instead of in June. The expensive 
winter gains were due to the fact that the animals were held below a 
full ration, which goes to show that the nearer the feeder approaches 
a mere maintenance ration the more expensive will be the gains. If 
the calves had been given a full feed, or almost a full feed, during the 
winter months, their gains would have been considerably greater 
than they were, and at the same time more economical. The test, 
however, does illustrate the value of pastures for making cheap gains. 

SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 

This experimental work is being continued, but at the present time 
the following general conclusions, based on the work already done, 
can be drawn : 

1. A farmer may expect to obtain a reasonable profit on beef calves 
when he raises and fattens them on his farm and sells them when they 
are 12 to 14 months old. That is, the farmer who feeds his corn and 
hay to these young animals can realize more on these raw farm prod- 
ucts, when sold through the calves, than when sold as corn or hay. 
At the same time a large amount of manure is made on the farm to 
enrich the soil. 

2. In the South, at least in Alabama at the present time, the calves 
should be born during the early spring months, 

3. The southern feeder has the choice of many different feeds suit- 
able for fattening calves. With reference to the feeds reported in 
this bulletin the following conclusions are warranted: 

(a) When fattening calves it pays to feed a ration made up of one- 
third corn-and-cob meal and two-thirds cottonseed meal, when corn 
is valued at 70 cents a bushel and meal at $26 a ton. 

(6) It is not profitable for two-thirds of the concentrated part of the 
ration to be composed of corn-and-cob meal when the feeds are valued 
as above. 



40 FATTENING CALVES IN ALABAMA. 

(c) Young calves can be finished for the market at a profit on cot- 
tonseed meal, cottonseed hulls, and pea-vine hay, but it is more 
profitable to introduce corn-and-cob meal to take the place of part 
of the cottonseed meal. 

4. When shall the calves be sold ? The tests seem to indicate that 
it is more profitable to feed a heavy ration and sell the calves at the 
end of the winter months when prices are normally high, than to 
hold them until the early summer months. Light winter feeding 
produces expensive gains. Although the subsequent pasture gains 
are made mucli more cheaply than the winter gains, they are not 
made economically enough to overcome or counteract the preceding 
high-priced slowly-made winter gains, together with the normal 
depreciation in the value of cattle from March or April to June or 
July. 

O 



